First Bank appoints Julius Omodayo-Owotuga as executive director

First Bank of Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of First HoldCo Plc, has appointed Julius B. Omodayo-Owotuga as an Executive Director, effective May 13.

His appointment further strengthens the bank’s leadership capacity across strategic finance, governance, risk management, and institutional transformation.

Omodayo-Owotuga brings twenty-four (24) years of experience spanning banking and financial services, infrastructure finance, power, oil & gas, and audit and consulting.

His appointment reflects the bank’s continued commitment to strong governance, disciplined execution, financial resilience, and sustainable long-term growth.

Prior to this appointment, he served on the Board of First HoldCo Plc as a Non-Executive Director, between 2021 and 2026.

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He most recently served as Deputy Chief Executive of Geregu Power Plc, Nigeria’s first listed power generation company, where he played a pivotal role in institutional transformation, governance strengthening, capital market positioning, operational optimisation, and major financing initiatives, including the company’s landmark listing on NGX.

Omodayo-Owotuga previously served as Group Executive Director, Finance & Risk Management at Forte Oil Plc (Now Ardova Plc), where he was instrumental in the company’s financial and operational transformation, leading strategic restructuring, capital raising, treasury optimisation, enterprise risk management, and governance improvement initiatives that strengthened long-term shareholder value.

His professional career also includes roles at Africa Finance Corporation, Standard Chartered Bank, KPMG Professional Services and MBC International Bank (Now First Bank Nigeria Limited), providing him with deep experience in institutional finance, treasury management, financial controls, regulatory engagement, and corporate advisory.

Julius B. Omodayo-Owotuga is a CFA Charter Holder, KPMG-trained Accountant, and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), and the Institute of Credit Administration. He is also a member of the Institute of Directors (IoD) Nigeria and a Certified Management Accountant.

He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, a Master’s in Business Administration and Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. He is an alumnus of Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, IE Business School, Geneva Business School, and The University of Lagos.

Iheanyi Nwachukwu

Iheanyi Nwachukwu, is a creative content writer with almost two decades journalism experience writing on banking, finance, capital markets, and tax. The multiple awards winning journalist is Assistant Editor, BusinessDay. Iheanyi holds BSc Degree in Economics from Imo State University; Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Management from University of Lagos. Iheanyi has attended several work-related trainings including (i) Advanced Writing and Reporting Skills (Pan African University, Lagos); (ii) News Agency Journalism (Indian Institute of Mass Communication {IIMC}, New Delhi, India); and (iii) Capital Markets Development and Regulations (International Law Institute {ILI} of Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA). Other trainings Iheanyi attended include: Economic/Political Risk Analysis (By Thomson Reuters Foundation); International Financial Journalism (IFJ) (By PMA Media Training, UK); Effective Business Writing Skills (By Phillips Consulting); Reporting on Corporate Governance (By International Finance Corporation (IFC) & Thomson Reuters Foundation UK); etc. In addition, he has participated in high-level economy & markets events in Dubai, South Africa, Morocco, and other African countries like Zambia, Ghana and Gambia.